The Truce
by SemperVigilans2312
Summary: After the events of Delta Halo, both the Covenant Seperatists and the surviving members of the In Amber Clad must come to accept each other, however, the truce is on the verge of faltering as an internal threat threatens to tear the newly formed agreement


THE TRUCE: A HALO FAN-FICTION

CHAPTER 1

The Arbiter stood in a heroic pose on top of a towering cliff, but when you are eight feet tall, it is hard not to. The setting sun was creating a cascade of colours on his steel grey armour. His gaze was firmly fixated on Delta Halo's Control Room some three hundred metres below him, where the sea met the cliffs.

Though he was on Delta Halo, his mind was somewhere else completely. The Elite's hand brushed his chest, where the Mark of Shame was branded into his flesh, etched like a memory, forever.

The events of the last few days, the last few hours had been extremely harrowing for the already fatigued combat veteran. All of it had begun with his supposed heresy against his Covenant and the stripping of his armour, his rank and his livelihood. As quickly as it was taken away, he was given the opportunity to reclaim his honour, even be elevated to a higher position as the one he had once occupied. He would fight as the sword of the Prophets, an Arbiter! A position drenched in honour and glory.

Though, if the Arbiter had learned anything over the last few days, it can all be as easily taken away. This was especially true when the war began. The Prophets orchestrated a civil war between the Arbiter's Elites and the newest member of the Covenant: The Brutes. The Brutes sided with the Prophets and stayed true to the Great Journey, while the Elites, who had learned the truth, fought to stay alive. The Elites weren't alone in this choice. The Grunts and the Hunters, two species who were part of the Covenant warrior caste sided with the Elites, who they have great respect for, and just recently, as of a few hours ago, an armistice had been reached with the species of Man, who they had been trying, and very nearly succeeded, to wipe out for the past thirty years.

None of this concerned the Arbiter for the time being, all he was thinking about was the lie which was the Great Journey. Rage burned inside him, all he had sacrificed, all he had lost, all for a future that didn't even exist. All for a lie. The Prophet's betrayal had cost his race dearly, and for that they will suffer.

So absorbed in his mind, the Elite didn't even hear the footfalls of the human behind him. "Everything all right there Mac?" came Sgt. Avery Johnson's voice. The voice seemed almost as lost as the Arbiter felt. This startled the Arbiter slightly and he had to crush his natural born instinct of shooting first and asking questions later. He physically had to stop himself from igniting his plasma rifle and discharging it onto the Sargent until he was a bloody pulp. This was disguised as a pivot to face the Sargent.

"Quite fine human, quite fine, I was just enjoying the sunset" the Arbiter replied finally. An odd pause filled the air as both veterans looked out onto the horizon, where the ring looped over itself.

"Well, if you don't then who will?" smiled the Sargent, looking up at the eight-foot tall alien.

The Elite arranged his four mandibles into what the Sargent assumed to be a smile, though it was hard to tell.

"I gather there is something that you wish to ask me" said the Arbiter. "Damn, there is no pulling the wool over your eyes" replied Johnson with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Hey, let's make this interesting shall we? I will give you ten bucks and one of my flip music recordings if you can guess what I am going to say next" said the Sargent.

_Flip music_? Did the Arbiter's ears deceive him, and what exactly were 'bucks'? Were 'bucks' some form of currency? Confused by the response, the alien responded the only way he thought would be the most relevant.

"What is this 'Flip music' of which you speak?" inquired the Arbiter slowly, so that he pronounced it properly.

To his great surprise Johnson roared with laughter, to the point where he nearly fell over. This went on for some time while the Arbiter stood there, like a rock and feeling a tinge of embarrassment. It was now clear that this was something that was clearly common knowledge to the 'Sarge' and his people.

After a while Johnson regained his composure, noticed the look on the Elite's face and responded "Close but no cigar I'm afraid. Oh, that is rich! I haven't laughed like that since I was back on Earth!"

Intrigued as to what 'Flip music' is, and just trying to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling he had, the Arbiter asked quite sincerely "Could you tell me?"

"Oh, you're serious" said the Sergeant, somewhat deflated now he had come off his cloud

"Well...uh...Flip music is a style of music which originated on Earth sometime back in the 20th century…about 500 odd years ago. Back then to the best of my knowledge it was referred to as 'Heavy Metal'. It is played loud and fast".

"It is quite amazing that such a style of music has survived half a millennium" said the Elite. "yeah, well those who listened to it forced their kids to listen, and the cycle continued until my pappy made me listen to it as a form of punishment, unfortunately for him I _enjoyed _it!"

Now truly curious as to what Flip Music sounded like the Arbiter pressed forward asking "Can I hear some?"

Wide-eyed, the Sargent appeared to take a moment to register what the Elite had just asked "Uh…sure, just prepare yourself" warned Johnson "It gets a _little_ loud"

Johnson then pulled out a small, rectangular object which was smaller than the human's hand, this object was a light grey colour, four buttons with triangles on three of them and one with a square on one decorated the box. It originally appeared to have a clear protective finish to it, but after years of use and wear, the finish had been scratched off and partially burned by what looked like plasma scoring. Amazingly undamaged was a screen which displayed what music was playing.

Protruding out of the side of this strange metal box was a thin wire coated in a tough rubber-like substance the Sergeant would later call 'plastic'. The wire split in two about half way up and at the end of the separate strands were two earpieces which were again made of plastic. Now the Elite understood.

"Now, putting them in is simple" instructed the sergeant, noticing the look of astonishment on the Arbiter's face. "You just put them in your ears, you _do _have ears don't you?" asked the sergeant slowly.

The Arbiter's look was the only answer the sergeant received.

With the earpieces firmly in his ears, the Arbiter gave Johnson a nod. Johnson then altered the volume control and selected the track.

"Now this is a band that is over _five-hundred years old_, they were said to have started the whole flip music movement. They're called 'Metallica'" said the sergeant with a sly smile.

"Fine, just play it" said the Arbiter.

The words 'Frantic' scrolled across the screen with the date of the recording '2003'. The sounds of the birds, in fact all sounds were drowned out by the heavy, loud and indeed 'frantic' playing of electrical instruments. They music bled into the Arbiter's conscious so fast that he was almost knocked off his feet.

"Aarrgghh!" screamed the Elite in fright and shock as he ripped the earpieces out of his own and threw the box to the ground.

"Hey! Careful, do you know how hard that music was to find on the Internet?" yelled Johnson as he scooped up the box with one hand safely before the Arbiter had the time to bring his hoof down on top of it. Johnson knew that this was fruitless, due to the fact that most inductees were rendered momentarily deaf by the music.

"What cursed, vile creature created such _evil _music!" half-yelled the Arbiter.

"What, so you're actually saying that you don't have any good music like that?" asked the human in disbelief.

"We do have good music, but it sounds wholly different than the _music_ that you just played for me" exclaimed the Elite.

"Ah, well, different stroke for different folks" sighed Johnson.

"Now, what was the reason for you disturbing such a peaceful afternoon?" asked the Arbiter quite sternly.

"Commander Keyes, along with your Spec-Ops commander and a few others require our unique presence for the next move against your old comrades" said the human. "They are waiting for us at the main compound".

"Then what are we waiting around for? Let's go" said the Arbiter, who was already breaking into a run.

"Hey! Wait up. Oh god help you when I catch up to you and stomp yo' ass into the ground!" yelled the sergeant as he struggled to catch up.

Unfortunately, for both species, their truce wouldn't be so easily acknowledged.

CHAPTER 2

Private First Class Warren Burgess had seen a lot of things during his tour of duty. He had seen armadas of incalculable size, worlds destroyed in a blaze of fire, entire battalions wiped out by one ship and countless friends blown away by the sheer might of the Covenant War Machine. But for all his military training and years of experience, nothing prepared him for what he was currently facing.

Playing, nay, teaching an Elite, how to play Snap.

Every instinct inside him was screaming at him to run, run before the alien bastard could get a clear shot, but times were different now. Now wars were fought with this enemy while you were sitting on ammo crates it seems. And the battleground was a steel drum for a makeshift table. _There was nothing like this back in Melbourne_ he thought to himself. He quickly suppressed this feeling. For whenever he thought of home, a deep feeling of anguish and homesickness set in. Oh what he wouldn't do to see the green hills of the Dandenongs again.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved about the situation. Three of their combatants had now sided with them, equalling fewer aliens to be shot by in Burgesses mind.

"Something troubling you human?" enquired the Elite. Who had stopped examining the graphic on the card and began studying the expression on the human's face.

"Sorta" replied Burgess, in a far off voice, putting down an ace of spades onto the ever-growing pile of cards.

"Anything I can help with?" asked the Elite, seeming generally concerned.

"Yeah" he replied "Yeah there is. Answer me this Mr. Elite: Why do you care? After thirty years of trying to wipe us out, why do you care? We don't even know each others names for Christ's sake!"

The Elite pondered this for a second or two, appearing too actually think of his response and choose his words.

He responded finally "We are aligned against the same antagonist, the same evil, which now threatens the very life of the universe itself. Not seeking allies in this time would be foolish. Also in response to your statement, there was many times where the Elites as a species questioned the Prophet's zealous attempt to annihilate humanity. Even the smallest of your species had thrown themselves upon us with no regard for his own life. We are a proud 'people' and regarded your species with a certain…admiration". The Elite then returned to the card, pressing it right up to his eye and holding it against the sun.

Private Burgess could not believe what he had just heard. The Elite species_ admired_ Humanity, even while they were in the Covenant. Burgess had a newfound respect for the new allies.

"My name is Warren Burgess, Private First Class of the UNSC military corps, serial number #743833, and I come from Melbourne, Australia, Earth" he uttered with pride.

At this declaration, the Elite looked up with interest. "My name is Urok 'Essamee, I am a Rookie, our equivalent of your _Private_, this is identifiable by my colour armour, and I am from the Covenant Holy World of High Charity, and may I be the first to say congratulations" he finished with a smile.

"Congratulations for what?" asked the puzzled Private.

"Congratulations for taking the first step." finished 'Essamee, and with that, he returned back to studying the same playing card, leaving Private Burgess stunned._ This was something to write home about_ He thought with an inflated sense of pride.

Alpha Base was perched on top of a rocky mesa along one of Delta Halos expansive beaches, half built into one of the many Forerunner structures which dot the scenery. The Elites had constructed strong, thick metal walls with only one gate to prevent intrusion from the remnants of the Brute occupation force or any Covenant loyalists. This wall was made out of the same purple-coloured metal as nearly everything else the aliens had brought with them. Every fifty metres there was a guard tower with a Covenant sniper and a human sniper, every one hundred metres there was a Shade positioned. If by some miracle the Loyalists made it through this line of defence, there were about 300 Elites, 200 Grunts, 20 Hunters and 170 Humans all inside the compound, with air support from Banshees and Elite flagships. The base near-invulnerable to attack.

As the Arbiter came over the last crest, he decided to wait for the lingering Sergeant, and from the sounds of his panting, he wouldn't have to wait long. During this time the Elite gazed upon the stronghold which is Alpha Base. Two Banshees flew overhead and he could hear the distant rumble of a Scorpion tank. It was around this time that the Arbiter began to question the length of this truce. He wondered how long the Humans could go without killing one of his Elites.

He didn't have much time to think about this, for his thoughts and commentary were drowned out by the rapid fire of gunshots, directly behind him.

Without a thought of his own safety, the Arbiter plunged into the green abyss to aid Johnson in what ever evil he had encountered.

For his bravery, the Arbiter has rewarded with eleven-feet of Brute. A fist to the head nearly knocked the Arbiter out cold. Regaining his senses and remembering what had attacked him, the Elite let out a furious roar and ignited his energy sword, bracing himself for the next attack.

From behind he heard the fast-approaching canter of a berserker Brute. Acting quickly, the Arbiter swung his sword around and prepared for a decapitation blow, as he prepared to swing the sword, he caught a glimpse of a tall, brown boulder fast approaching from in front of him, _Ambush! _Screamed the Arbiter's insides. He tried to guess which one would collide with him first; the answer came with a headbutt to the back, which flared his shields to one quarter strength and flipped him into the air about five metres. He landed hard on his back, his sword flying high in to the air and imbedding itself in the trunk of a nearby palm tree.

Dazed, confused and battered, the weary soldier lay still for a moment as he tried to understand what had just happened. As he was contemplating his situation, the echoes of Brute's footfalls were felt in the ground, all around him. He opened his eyes to see what was happening, what he saw made him regret his curiosity

10 Brutes were casually approaching; one of them was carrying an unconscious Sergeant over his shoulder. The leader of this squad was a particularly unpleasant alien by the name of Gargantus. He had thick, hair covering the majority of his simian-like body, with the rank of General on his shoulder pad. Unlike other Brutes whose hair was a muddy, chocolate brown, Gargantus's hair was the darkest black that you could imagine. The hair seemed to suck in the light all around it.

Gargantus approached the Arbiter with a sadistic smile. He came to an abrupt halt just beside the Elite's head. With a victorious look upon his face, Gargantus leaned down until he was about thirty centimetres away from his adversary's mandibles. "Well, well, well if it isn't the most famous of the Heretics" he drawled, slowly and carefully, as if addressing a large crowd of his peers. "The blade of the Prophets, hero of his people and saviour of the Covenant" he added with an extra flourish. This last comment was received with a genuine rumble of laughter throughout the congregation of Brutes.

"Unfortunately for our little…_friend_ here he has lost his way on the true path to salvation, believing the Great Journey to be…false" he paused for added effect, heightening the drama of his last statement. With this the circle of Brutes abruptly stopped laughing and bore their gaze upon the broken body of the Arbiter with murderous eyes.

"But we are a civilised group, not as our names imply, aren't we lads?" he asked, turning to face to circle "and we believe in a fair trial…followed by a drawn out execution of you and your pet monkey" he growled, gesturing towards the now conscious Johnson, who was kicking up a right royal fuss.

"You can threaten us all you wish, but that won't undo the damage that we have done to your kind" growled the Arbiter, now standing, face to face so to speak, in front of Gargantus. Eight feet tall is very tall when standing next to a human, but when standing next to an eleven foot tall Brute, you don't get your message across. "Or do you forget about the one called _Tartarus_?" he added with a sly grin

"That and my boys kickin' your ass on this ring!" yelled Johnson, from behind the Brute's shoulders. With this last comment Gargantus's demeanour swiftly changed "Oh please human _don't_ flatter yourself" he snarled turning to face the irate Sergeant "Your people averaged one kill of my species for every three we killed! Your species fought worse than the Grunts, who I might add are now in your 'Coalition of the Dysfunctional'. As for your kind Arbiter" he roared with extreme distaste and xenophobia. "Your kind pride yourself on the numbers which you have killed and your old position in the Covenant" he said as he strode towards the Elite, who stood his ground until they were again at eye level. "But now that your cannon fodder is now your ally and you have been expelled from the Covenant, what is your purpose?" inquired the Brute, coming so close to the Arbiter's face that the stench of Gargantus's breath infiltrated everyone of the Elite's orifices. The repugnant smell forced the Arbiter the break eye contact, at which time all the birds had stopped calling, everything was deftly quiet. Glancing around the jungle the Arbiter noticed this, quickly he looked around for a source, and he found it.

Of all of their faults, and there are quite a few, the Arbiter had to stop and recognise the stealth which the humans possessed. In the canopy of trees, high above their heads, ten ODSTs had positioned themselves within the mess of branches; each had a clear shot of one of the Brutes, with their S2 AM Sniper Rifles. Gargantus, in his ego trip, had not noticed. Now the ambush had switched sides, and in one of the few times of this war, the humans had the upper hand.

"Now, back to you execution, you are hereby charged with high heresy, including the death of the noble Prophet of Regret, as you were unable to get to him before the Demon arrived at the structure. Your sentence is death…by your own Energy Sword" he added with a smile. Gargantus grunted at the Brute who had a hold of Johnson in an authoritative tone. This Brute promptly dropped Johnson on the hard ground and went to retrieve the Sword from the tree. He returned a minute or so later, after nearly severing his wrist with it in an attempt to show off. When he handed it to Gargantus, he was rewarded with a swift slap across the back of the head.

Gargantus activated the weapon…the right way, and it lit up with a brilliant blue-white aura around it. After it had reached its maximum length, the sword appeared to hum. With his now trademark smile, Gargantus trained the sword fro the Elites neck. The Arbiter could not move once again, due to the fact that two Brutes had a hold of each of his arms.

Gargantus pulled the Sword of light back, much like an archer pulling back on the string before releasing the arrow. The Brute was going to plunge the sword straight into the Arbiter's neck and sever the head completely in one quick jab, or a drawn-out one.

Sweat poured down the Arbiter's helmet. _Shoot him already!_ he willed towards the snipers. Gargantus sardonically grinned as he saw the anguish on the Elite's face "Don't worry Arbiter, it shall be swi…" Gargantus never got to finish the sentence. At the same moment, the ODSTs answered the Arbiter's mental call, discharging their weapons simultaneously.

The combined sound of the gun's report was so loud that Alpha Base even picked it up over three kilometres away. The bullets from the guns stayed true to their mark and drilled through their targets helmets and eventually their skulls, penetrating the brains and destroying all life in the overly aggressive species.

One second later, ten bodies slumped to the ground, creating a slight shudder as each one hit the deck. The Arbiter, evidently relieved, bent forward and retrieved his Energy Sword and then looked at Johnson. During the shooting, Johnson was as still as a statue, now that it was over he gazed in the Arbiter's direction and let out a chuckle. With that he went over to Gargantus's lifeless form and kicked it hard in the head, causing a large puddle of purple blood to ooze out or the pin hole sized entry wound. "I guess now that we are evenly matched…Jackass" he said to the corpse, full of sarcasm, and walked off in the direction of Alpha Base "Thanks Boys!" he called out with a wave of his hand in the direction of the ODSTs, who were now scaling down the trunks of their respective trees.

The Arbiter hung back as he watched the troop's abseil down the trunks. "That was quite a show, extremely good marksmanship" he added with a smile. The faceless visor of the elite troop just stared. The Arbiter could hear the heavy breathing from behind the helmet. The ODST just stood there, not saying a word. Feeling the tension, as now all ten ODSTs were just staring at him, the Arbiter decided to leave for the base. As he left, he could feel ten pairs of eyes burning into his back. "This armistice is definitely going to be hard" he said to himself, as he took the long road home.

CHAPTER 3

The massive gates of Alpha Base swung open quite easily, which is surprising considering their girth. After they had fully opened, two Hunters stood in the newly opened gap in the fence to substitute for defence. They parted to let the Sergeant and the Arbiter into the main area.

The base was separated into three different areas: Area #1 consisted of open ground which was used for Pelican and Phantom landings, as well as Banshees, Scorpions, Ghosts and Warthogs. Aside from being a vehicle area, a Grav lift pad was set up so that ships of the Elite Armada could restock the base with food and troops, as well as provide hasty evacuation in case of loyalist attack or the Flood.

Area #2 was the main Forerunner structure, which ran up the side of the cliff-face behind it. The structure rose up to about three-hundred metres and was the Barracks of Alpha Base. As well as food hall, Armoury (of which they had several), fall-back point in case of attack and the heart of Alpha Base.

Area #3 was the catacombs of underground artificial tunnels which ran underneath the base, this was the final fall-back point in case of a wall breach, and the next step beyond this was total evacuation. This area was also used for Human/Covenant weapons integration, interrogation rooms and holding cells and general meetings all took place in these three sub-levels.

As with general regulations, the pair had to report to the gate commander, who marked them into his log as having returned, alive. After this they had to report to a medic, a highly skilled Elite/Grunt pair who would look you over for any major breaks or possible infection from the Flood (the Sergeant was exempt from the latter due to his first run in with the Flood on the first Halo). During this stop the Arbiter was assessed and diagnosed with three cracked ribs, jarred back, broken right forearm and a slight concussion. These wounds were quickly dressed up and healed, due to superior Covenant technology.

When they entered the main hall of the structure, the Sergeant thrust his hand deep into his leg pocket, as though searching for something of great importance. The Arbiter stopped walking and began to stare in wonder at the odd movements the Human was performing. He was not the only one. Two Hunters stopped their patrol and cocked their heads quizzically at the Sergeant, a pack of Grunts who were nearby, stopped and seemed as interested as the Hunters. Before long, a large crowd had gathered to watch the obscure movements of the increasingly distressed Human. Humans and Aliens alike had paused to take a gander at Johnson.

After about ten minutes, Johnson, pulled out all of the pieces of what looked like a destroyed piece of machinery. The Arbiter would never have guessed what it was if it wasn't for the wires jutting out of the side…of the once new metal case.

"Oh, that's your music box?" said the Arbiter with hushed awe.

"The bastards" uttered Sergeant Johnson quietly "Those _damn_ bastards"

With this revelation, the Humans in the group began to laugh, but quickly stopped and dispersed after remembering how the Sergeant took to humour on his behalf. The remaining alien dispersed as well. There were wagers among them to see if it was a Plasma Grenade whose fuse somehow jarred and was going to detonate inside his pants. Of course, this was a Grunt rumour.

"Fear not Human" said the Arbiter "The Engineers will be able to fix that, possibly make you a new one if you so wish" he added with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah I know" said Johnson in a defeated tone of voice "It's just that my pappy gave that to me, so it holds a sort of sentimental value to me"

After this complete non-event, the two veterans finally made their way to the main chamber, where their superiors were waiting. Commander Miranda Keyes was at one end of the oval-shaped room, sitting on what looked like a podium upon which a judge may sit, accompanied by five other officers. At the other end were the representatives of the various Covenant splinter factions: Elites, Grunts and Hunters. A couple of engineers were floating around, checking for any broken wires and to make sure that the human recording equipment was working soundly.

"Hey Mr. Purple!" called the Sergeant. "I got somethin' for you to fix" and with this he strode over to the nearest Engineer. His heavy footfalls echoing off the curved roof, alerting everyone to their presence.

"Ah Johnson, Arbiter, glad you could both make it" said Keyes with a soft smile on her tired face. She had been working for forty-eight hours straight on the terms for official armistice and the inclusion of these three races into the UNSC.

"I heard about the incident just a few moments ago, have you both been checked out at the medical tent?" she inquired.

"Yes m'am" replied Johnson

"Good to hear, now please gentlemen, take your respective seats"

Johnson sat next to Keyes, while the Arbiter positioned himself at the other end of the room, in the direct centre of the Covenant menagerie

"Welcome back Arbiter" said the Elite Spec Ops Commander Half-Jaw, "I would have sent our own to assist you but, these humans are quite fast and more organised than we thought"

"No apology necessary, it was a learning experience for us both" replied the Arbiter.

Silence now echoed through the room as both sides went over the data panels in front of them, which contained the terms of the armistice, and the Separatists official induction into the UNSC.

"Before we begin, it is standard UNSC protocol for those orchestrating the armistice to introduce themselves for the other party, I shall begin: I am Commander Miranda Keyes, UNSC Navy" she said, her voice amplified electronically through the room. "I am Master Sergeant Avery Johnson, UNSC Marine Corps". Next, the man on Keyes' left side stood up, he was dressed in a black jump suit, his voice was deep and powerful "I am Lieutenant Commander Atticus Frost" he cleared his throat "And I am taking over these proceedings"

With this last announcement Keyes, Johnson, the Arbiter and Half-Jaw all stood up and gaped at this man. "On what grounds?" questioned Keyes, anger in her eyes "I outrank you!"

"On the grounds that in the possible event of a peace/armistice agreement between any faction of the United Nations Space Command and The Covenant, ONI law states that an ONI officer must take over proceedings, even if he is below rank" he said with a superior smile. "Failure to comply with these orders will be considered treason and punishable by death" Frost added.

Keyes was face to face to Frost, her cool, blue eyes penetrating his ice cold, black ones. Finally she relented. "Fine" she said in a cold voice, though not breaking her eye contact from his.

She and the Sergeant sat back down; this was out of their hands now.

At the other end of the chamber, the Arbiter was still standing, along with Half-Jaw, while the rest of their congregation were all exchanging looks of disbelief.

"…Lieutenant Commander?" asked the Arbiter tentatively, "Does this mean that Commander Keyes is not in charge of the humans on Delta Halo?"

"I guess it does Elite, I guess it does" he said, with a smarmy look written all over his face. "And you will speak only when spoken to Elite, and that goes for the rest of your monsters" he added in a cruel harsh tone".

At this Keyes was once again vocal "This is a Truce; each member of the congregation will speak freely so that we can this armistice last".

Frost was silent at this last statement; it appeared that he had no rebuttal.

About five seconds later he erupted in laughter. A harsh, jagged laugh which cut the skin and made all the hairs on your neck stand up.

After about a minute he stopped, and composed himself

"Oh, my dear Commander, who ever said that this was a truce signing ceremony?"

"This is THEIR long awaited trial for the billions that their kind have killed"

"AMBUSH!" called the Arbiter, barely controlling his anger. Now, all of the Separatists had stood up had were staring at this, this puny human.

"Arbiter, I did not orchestrate this!" yelled Keyes. "This is mutiny Frost!" she directed at him.

"Mutiny? Don't you talk to me about mutiny!" roared Frost "For the last week I have seen you and the Sergeant here gallivanting with our enemy! So action HAS to be taken!" He entered a few buttons into his gauntlet. "The time for peace had never begun, evil only understands evil"

At that moment, twenty ODSTs marched into the room, and trained their weapons at the Arbiter and Half-Jaw.

With a roar, the Arbiter ignited his Plasma sword, Half-Jaw responding to this, pulled out two Plasma Rifles, the two Hunters bellowed as they charged their energy cannons, and the two Grunt representatives did what grunts do best, hide in the corner.

In other words, the Separatists were hopelessly outgunned.

Realising this, The Arbiter called for a stand-down of arms, hesitantly, Half-Jaw obliged, followed by the Hunters

Frost, who looked somewhat shaken by this show of force, regained some of his composure.

"Now that we have got the unpleasantness out of the way, we can begin with the trial and the charges against each of the following parties/species, The Elites, The Hunters and the Grunts, who have surrendered to the mighty will of the United Nations Empire"

"The charges are as follows:

The deaths of over 10 billion UNSC personnel

The deaths of over 200 billion civilians living under the command of the UNSC

The destruction of over 300 UNSC-controlled planets, including Reach and Harvest

The destruction of 98 of the UNSC Armada

The genocide, near extinction of the Human Race

The unleashing of the Flood.

"How do you plead?" he asked sourly

Not being familiar with the Human's use of justice, the Arbiter was staggered by the charges which not only lay before him, but also his entire species, as well as those he once regarded as allies.

"I am no the one who you should be charging" The Arbiter said

Frost's eyebrow cocked suspiciously, and then his face regained its composure

"That maybe, but the fact of the matter is, YOU are here, and YOU are the representative for the Covenant as a whole" whether you are part of the Separatist nation or not", he added with a sneer.

"I still stand by what I have said human; I am not the one you should be charging"

He froze, looked over to the door frame and pointed at a shimmering mass

"He is!" he exclaimed with shock

"Why the sadness Arbiter?" boomed a deep voice from the doorway, the shimmering stopped


End file.
